Home/BlogThe Version 6.1 global average lower tropospheric temperature (LT) anomaly for January, 2026 was +0.35 deg. C departure from the 1991-2020 mean, up a little from the December, 2025 value of +0.30 deg. C.
The Version 6.1 global area-averaged linear temperature trend (January 1979 through January 2026) remains at +0.16 deg/ C/decade (+0.22 C/decade over land, +0.13 C/decade over oceans).
The following table lists various regional Version 6.1 LT departures from the 30-year (1991-2020) average for the last 25 months (record highs are in red).
| YEAR | MO | GLOBE | NHEM. | SHEM. | TROPIC | USA48 | ARCTIC | AUST |
| 2024 | Jan | +0.80 | +1.02 | +0.57 | +1.20 | -0.19 | +0.40 | +1.12 |
| 2024 | Feb | +0.88 | +0.94 | +0.81 | +1.16 | +1.31 | +0.85 | +1.16 |
| 2024 | Mar | +0.88 | +0.96 | +0.80 | +1.25 | +0.22 | +1.05 | +1.34 |
| 2024 | Apr | +0.94 | +1.12 | +0.76 | +1.15 | +0.86 | +0.88 | +0.54 |
| 2024 | May | +0.77 | +0.77 | +0.78 | +1.20 | +0.04 | +0.20 | +0.52 |
| 2024 | June | +0.69 | +0.78 | +0.60 | +0.85 | +1.36 | +0.63 | +0.91 |
| 2024 | July | +0.73 | +0.86 | +0.61 | +0.96 | +0.44 | +0.56 | -0.07 |
| 2024 | Aug | +0.75 | +0.81 | +0.69 | +0.74 | +0.40 | +0.88 | +1.75 |
| 2024 | Sep | +0.81 | +1.04 | +0.58 | +0.82 | +1.31 | +1.48 | +0.98 |
| 2024 | Oct | +0.75 | +0.89 | +0.60 | +0.63 | +1.89 | +0.81 | +1.09 |
| 2024 | Nov | +0.64 | +0.87 | +0.40 | +0.53 | +1.11 | +0.79 | +1.00 |
| 2024 | Dec | +0.61 | +0.75 | +0.47 | +0.52 | +1.41 | +1.12 | +1.54 |
| 2025 | Jan | +0.45 | +0.70 | +0.21 | +0.24 | -1.07 | +0.74 | +0.48 |
| 2025 | Feb | +0.50 | +0.55 | +0.45 | +0.26 | +1.03 | +2.10 | +0.87 |
| 2025 | Mar | +0.57 | +0.73 | +0.41 | +0.40 | +1.24 | +1.23 | +1.20 |
| 2025 | Apr | +0.61 | +0.76 | +0.46 | +0.36 | +0.81 | +0.85 | +1.21 |
| 2025 | May | +0.50 | +0.45 | +0.55 | +0.30 | +0.15 | +0.75 | +0.98 |
| 2025 | June | +0.48 | +0.48 | +0.47 | +0.30 | +0.80 | +0.05 | +0.39 |
| 2025 | July | +0.36 | +0.49 | +0.23 | +0.45 | +0.32 | +0.40 | +0.53 |
| 2025 | Aug | +0.39 | +0.39 | +0.39 | +0.16 | -0.06 | +0.82 | +0.11 |
| 2025 | Sep | +0.53 | +0.56 | +0.49 | +0.35 | +0.38 | +0.77 | +0.30 |
| 2025 | Oct | +0.53 | +0.52 | +0.55 | +0.24 | +1.12 | +1.42 | +1.67 |
| 2025 | Nov | +0.43 | +0.59 | +0.27 | +0.24 | +1.32 | +0.78 | +0.36 |
| 2025 | Dec | +0.30 | +0.45 | +0.15 | +0.19 | +2.10 | +0.32 | +0.37 |
| 2026 | Jan | +0.35 | +0.52 | +0.19 | +0.09 | +0.30 | +1.40 | +0.95 |
The full UAH Global Temperature Report, along with the LT global gridpoint anomaly map for January, 2026 and a more detailed analysis by John Christy, should be available within the next several days here.
The monthly anomalies for various regions for the four deep layers we monitor from satellites will be available in the next several days at the following locations:
Thank you, Dr. Spencer. A quick statistic from the table you provided: the NoPol series recorded its third warmest January on record. Below are the top 10 warmest NoPol Januaries (including ties), listed in ascending order:
Jan. 2016: +2.12C
Jan. 1981: +1.42C
Jan. 2026: +1.4C
Jan. 2018: +1.05C
Jan. 2011: +0.89C
Jan. 2010: +0.81C
Jan. 2022: +0.75C
Jan. 2025: +0.74C
Jan. 2005: +0.66C
Jan. 2017: +0.66C
Jan. 2014: +0.62C
’81 stands out as an early outlier.
And the rate of warming for NoPol January is 2.8C/century.
Kynqora: Dumb question, but what is NoPol?
Arctic region.
My prediction was wrong, but I was right about a plummeting US48, but Arctic back up.
I had been expecting it to be a bit colder based on ERA5 graphs.
This is the 6th warmest January in the UAH data set. Though apart from 2024, there isn’t much to choose between the warmest months.
1 2024 0.80
2 2025 0.45
3 2016 0.42
4 2020 0.41
5 2010 0.36
6 2026 0.35
7 1998 0.34
8 2013 0.31
9 2007 0.29
10 2017 0.26
Could say it’s in a three way tie for 5th warmest.
Surprising that the USA is still above the 1991-2020 average, despite the very cold weather reported there. The ERA5 data suggests that there was a strong contrast between the east and west. Still, I expect there will be plenty of “whatever happened to global warming?” jokes.
https://sites.ecmwf.int/data/climatepulse/maps/download/monthly/2t/anomaly/climpulse_map_era5_download_monthly_2t_anomaly_202601.png
Still, I expect there will be plenty of “whatever happened to global warming?” jokes.
That’s because Global Warming Theory is consistent with anything and everything that happens.
So, I think you might be missing where the joke actually is.
One thing that stands out when looking at John Christy’s older UAH LT anomaly maps is how cold the late 1970s and 1980s now appear when referenced to the current 1991–2020 baseline.
For example:
https://www.nsstc.uah.edu/climate/Maps_1991_2020_base/FEBRUARY_1979_LT_6.png
As expected, much of the globe shows negative anomalies relative to the baseline. What’s more striking, though, is that some regional anomalies are so cold that they reach the extreme end of the color scale (pink/purple).
When the baseline is eventually updated again (to 2001–2030), the visual contrast will become even more pronounced, especially since that baseline will incorporate the sharp warming associated with 2023–24.
It is going to look almost glacial by comparison.
Pardon me for being picky, but you have been inserting an extra “/” over at least the last 3 monthly reports
“……remains at +0.16 deg/ C/decade…..”
If one uses the *original* 20-year baseline average–derived from the end of 1978 through the end of 1997–there haven’t been *any* negative temperature anomalies since March of 2012. Not a single one. In almost 14 years.
Only by using a floating ‘baseline’ (now ~ .025C warmer than the original baseline) makes it look like we still have below-average anomalies. It’s misleading.